


History Obliterates

by UnwantedShadow



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Accidental Death, Alternate History, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, semi regular updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-12-08 20:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11654418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnwantedShadow/pseuds/UnwantedShadow
Summary: Aaron Burr knows how easy it is for life to take away everything you know and love, and has vowed not to let that happen to him this time around. This is a story of regret, guilt, hope and recovery, and how there will always be an inkling of good in the world.Will probs have semi-regular updates





	1. The Duel

That pamphlet was never supposed to mean anything.

Burr knew it in his heart, that it was just a ploy to gain political power. Yet, somehow, he was here again. He knew how it would end. He knew how it felt to be shunned, exiled from civilisation, to be viewed as evil, as a man with no morals or respect for the country he helped found. He remembered.  
But he couldn’t apologise now.

With the mess that followed, he wished he did.

***

Burr felt a striking familiarity when he stood on the dueling ground, like he was meant to be here, like his whole life had been leading up to this very place. At that thought, he barely kept back a shiver. All his life’s achievements, everything that he had worked so hard for, all being put aside for the centerpiece, the pièce de résistance. The one and only thing he would be remembered for. The shooting of Alexander Hamilton.

It was so pathetic, he had to laugh. The highlight of his life wouldn’t even be centered around him. Well, he had to admit, all his life he had been overshadowed by Alexander. And now, hundreds of years later, when people looked at him, they would say “Oh, that’s Aaron Burr, the man who killed Hamilton.” He would die in the same fashion he lived. Forgotten, unknown and unloved.

He quietly watched Alex draw first position. He chose a quiet spot next to a bush. The sun would be in his eyes in that direction. It had seemed an odd choice last time, but Burr knew Hamilton was going to aim to the side, so the position he was in didn’t matter as long as he didn’t hit Burr. Burr chose his position, a small, clear area in front of a tree. 

He looked around. The sun was beginning to rise, leaving the sky a rosy orange hue. The morning mist seemed to be whispering to Burr, telling him what horrible fate was awaiting him. New York City was straight across the Hudson, in clear view. For all the feelings Burr was having right now, he had to admit, Hamilton chose a nice place to die.

Burr forced himself to concentrate on what was happening now. He was here again, sent back to fix his mistake. And this time, he wasn’t going to shoot. 

Hamilton started fiddling with the trigger of his pistol. Despite knowing what the outcome would be, Burr still started worrying. Their pistols had hairspring triggers. Hamilton could accidentally shoot Burr before the duel even started.  
_What if I die right here, right now? I don’t want to be remembered as the person who died before the duel with Alexander started. What will become of my daughter? I didn’t even write a proper note. Will Theo know what happened?_

(Only later would Burr find out Hamilton wasn’t trying to shoot him, but was rather looking at the gun that had killed his eldest child, Philip.)

He could feel Hamilton’s icy gaze fixed on him. He didn’t know any look from him except the one he did now. When the revolution was still being fought, they were so innocent, so young and stupid. Burr didn’t remember much of the bloodshed. He only truly remembered the laughing and joking and getting drunk. 

_"Can we agree that duels are dumb and immature? I don’t want to lose a man out of anger.”_  
_“Sure, but your man has to answer for his words, Burr.”_  
_Burr stared in shock at Alex._  
_“Wait, with his life? We both know that isn’t happening.”_  
_Alexander frowned, like he was annoyed Burr was disagreeing with him. Knowing him, that probably was the case._  
_“Hang on, how many men died because Lee was inexperienced and ruinous? The death of one man is better than the _deaths of so many others. And if he lives, he still deserves to be shot.”__  
_Burr had an inkling of what would happen. Lee would be shot in the side, and survive. Alexander would be sent home._ _Well, as long as no one died, it was fine._  
_“Okay, so we’re doing this.”_

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That was the first duel. Burr knew he should have stopped Hamilton right there, should have quelled his sense of fire and ambition. That way, he couldn’t, wouldn’t be here. None of them would.

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But he didn’t. Even though he knew there was no use thinking about what could have happened, Aaron’s entire life had been based on what ifs and what could’ve beens. Not what is going to bes, or what is. It was too late to change now. The duel was happening, and it couldn’t be stopped.

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He watched as Hamilton put on his glasses. It was something that was quite uncommon, but not unheard of. It didn’t frighten Burr this time. Alexander had only put them on to see if Aaron was going to shoot. Burr hoped he got the message and would shoot away.

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Burr aimed at Hamilton’s eye. He breathed out. For all he knew, it could be his final breath. Whatever happened now wasn’t in his hands. He summoned all his courage. It wasn’t enough. Still, the duel had to go on. 

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“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine! Number ten, paces, fire!”

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And this time, he didn’t fire. And this time, he felt satisfied.

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	2. World Turned Upside Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The decision where it all began.

Mr Burr?”  
Burr looked up. A young woman was staring at him, like something happened and he was at fault.  
“Yes. What is it?”  
He didn’t mean to come off rude, but Aaron saw the tension between them and didn’t know how to fix it.  
“The president wants to see you.”  
Burr frowned, but still walked up to Jefferson’s office.

“Ah, Burr, sit down.”  
Burr looked at Jefferson and knew instantly something was wrong.  
“Yes?”  
Jefferson smiled.  
“You know, you just can’t keep some things secret forever.”  
“….What do you mean?”

“So, the other day, we discovered the fact that you and a Mr,” he hesitated for a moment, “Hamilton… went to Weehawken. My question is simple: Why?”  
Burr glared at Jefferson, the uneasy feeling now completely validated. He was backed into a corner. If he revealed the truth, his life would be ruined. If he lied….well, that was something he didn’t want to think about. Either way, it would probably end in a lawsuit, yelling and a ruined career. The only question was who’s.  
Talk less, smile more.  
“I have no idea what occurrence you are talking about. Are you sure you are not mistaken in your mind?”  
Jefferson’s face made the duel almost worth it. But he was the president, and a corrupt administration is still an administration.  
“You know, your precious honour isn’t going to last very long if you continue like this. I could even destroy it for you. All it takes is a pen and a piece of paper. Your pretty, little, simple world will collapse. And no one will remember you. No one.”  
Burr turned pale.  
“I- What do you want?”  
Jefferson grinned.  
“Well, think about it. I hate Hamilton. You saved his life. So, naturally, you are now my enemy. I’ll give you two options. Option one, resign from office and never show you, or Hamilton’s face in the Oval Office ever again. Option two…..well, let’s just say……dispose of Hamilton and become my ally. I’ll give you a week to think about it.”  
And with that, Thomas swept out the room.

***  
“Come in!”  
Burr anxiously stepped into the large, familiar building. The Hamilton Grange. A man in his late forties was hunched over a desk, messily scribbling down what looked like a letter.  
“You should really take a break sometime. You could die of stress.” Burr smirked.  
Alexander looked up. His hair was a mess, his hands were shaking and his eyes had black circles under them. Burr didn’t look any better.  
“What happened in that meeting? The one with Jefferson? Are we ruined?”  
It wasn’t a angry, demanding question. The life seemed to have drained out of Hamilton, leaving him unable to speak in his usual fiery manner.  
“…What?”  
Burr had almost put the issue behind him.  
“Well, news travels fast in New York City.”  
Burr had to slightly smile at that. Alexander Hamilton, the quickest-witted, shortest-tempered person he knew, was saying news spread fast in New York. When the news wasn’t about him, he was normally the person who spread it.  
He was snapped back to reality.  
“Any more pieces of information I can write about?”  
Burr thought about the incident. Nothing came to mind, except…..  
No. He wasn’t going to tell Hamilton that. It would ruin their lives.  
“That’s all that happened.”  
“Did you confess?”  
“Pardon me, but what?”  
“Did you tell Jefferson about the…” Hamilton hesitated for a moment, “duel?”  
Burr awkwardly shifted his weight. Talking about what happened was still unfamiliar territory to both him and Alexander. And before he could think the better of it, one word came out of his mouth.  
“Yes.”

***  
Three days left. Three days to change his life. Three days to ruin someone’s world. Three days of peace before the storm.  
And Aaron Burr had not made a single decision.  
For the past week, he had locked himself into his office. He didn’t know why. His home, no, house was empty. It was a shell of what it once had been, a place to belong for a bustling family of three. Theodosia had died, and Theo Jr had moved out. Those were the only two people Aaron truly cared about. And they were…gone.

Aaron forced his mind back on track. His two choices: Ruin his reputation, or kill Alexander. At this point, Burr wished he just shot Hamilton. This wouldn’t have happened, and he would’ve been able to once again live the rest of his life in the comfort of last time. No surprises, no danger, no….this. Aaron felt no happiness in the fact he had just saved a life, as it wasn’t something he could show other people. He just felt cold, pressured and alone. Only he would know, only he would carry the weight on his back.

He could quit his job, but it was the only part of his routine that was solid, that could never change. He normally took solace in the reassurance of a predictable, calm lifestyle. 

Then it was the other option. Kill Alexander. The thought came smoothly to him, seeing as it was something he had done before. But he hadn’t shot this time for a reason. And that reason hit close to home. It was because he wanted a future that was something other than ‘wake up, regret, repeat’. He had ruined his world over that one spat and worst of all, given something up he promised he wouldn’t. His legacy. And that was worth more than any insult or slander.

But, his world had changed from that one bullet. History now had a different view on him. He could now die as anything. And chance games weren’t Burr’s area of expertise. Alexander’s survival had destroyed his ‘set in stone’ future.

And, as he huddled in his dark office, listening to the _drip, drip, drip_ of his wet clothing, as the world rotated, he realised how much he had changed. The younger Burr would have confessed immediately, and still blamed Jefferson. But he couldn’t dwell on the past now, only use it to change his future.

And somehow, that night, Vice President Aaron Burr convinced himself to kill Alexander Hamilton, former Secretary of the Treasury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I STAYED UP ALL NIGHT TO WRITE THIS AND WAS TOO TIRED TO PROOFREAD SORRY IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES AND ALSO IM TYPING IN CAPSLOCK BCAUSE IM TOO TIRED TO TURN IT OFF and why not xd  
> Also, I finally did a chapter that was over 100 words so yay!!!


	3. Spark Into A Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final step off the boat dock seals Burr's fate.

In the next two weeks, Burr read up everything he could on Hamilton. Being his former friend, he knew a fair bit about Alexander. Aaron scoured through every letter from Hamilton he could find, carefully scrutinising through every letter and article Alexander had ever written. He wrote letters to people close to Hamilton, including his living children and his wife. He felt guilty making someone help him murder someone else without knowing it, but Aaron had no other choice. He had to save his world from collapsing again, from venturing into the unknown and untouched. 

Burr finally got the piece he was looking for when reading one of Alexander’s most recent letters.  
“I am afraid I shall not be able meet up with you, for I am to go to France for an anti-slavery convention. I shall be back on the seventeenth of this month. Until then, farewell.”

He smiled quietly to himself and booked a ticket to Paris.

***

Burr looked back as the ship left America. It felt like he was starting a new life, leaving his old one behind. He reached out and felt the salty air, the happy chatter, the rush of the waves below. He saw America getting smaller and smaller. His coat blew in the wind, as the small squeak of dolphins echoed below. It would have been one of the only perfect times in Burr’s life, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was going to France to murder his former friend.   
_It’s not necessarily murder, just putting things back the way it’s supposed to be._  
A small part of him knew that that was a lie, something that would never be true, not even in dreams. It was never true in the first place. But sometimes, make-believe can mask your real feelings.

His train of thought was lost as a young man approached him.

“Dinner’s being served.”

Aaron nodded and smiled.  
“I’ll be there in a bit.”  
He lingered at the edge of the boat for another second, desperately grasping the last sight of America, before he turned and left.

***  
France seemed familiar. Maybe it was because they were allies in the war. Maybe he had grown used to them. Maybe Lafayette’s constant chatter about the place made it seem old and safe. 

Either way, Burr was now here. The weight of his plan hit. He was going to lie his way into the convention. Once there, he would have to shoot one of the most important people in the USA.  
Aaron briefly wondered whether he could turn back now, whether he could just relax and enjoy a holiday. But he would be weighed down with guilt. Guilt of never completing his task, and guilt of thinking of ever killing Alexander. And that was something he couldn’t bear. Burr took a breath.

Then, he stepped off the boat dock, sealing his fate forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates and the extremely short chapter! Life's been really hectic recently, but it should be back to normal in like 2 weeks time.

**Author's Note:**

> Btw, i got some of this idea from the last fanfic i read, It Feels More Like A Memory by Savrenim.  
> Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5456225/chapters/12613484  
> idk whether i should list it as like a fanfiction of that work sorta thing cause i came up with the story and stuff, but please tell me if i should put it in that section. 
> 
> ik this chapter is sorta short, but i thought that was a nice end.


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